“After the release of their debut in 2007, their love for cinematic themes and classic pop needed to be more than that… it needed to be realized on a grand scale in a way that still said: ‘The Postmarks were here,'” so says a statement from Florida band The Postmarks about the release of their third album Memoirs at the End of the World.
Of course that’s largely PR guff, but beneath the twaddle there is some truth. Their latest album Memoirs at the End of the World, is undoubtedly indie pop on an epic scale. It is also true that it has a far slicker, grander production then their self -titled debut and their second album, By The Numbers, which features covers of songs with numbers in their title.
To those unfamiliar with the band, The Postmarks specialise in European style, sumptuous indie pop, similar to the earlier albums of 1990s London indie-pop legends St Etienne and with more than a nod to the film score music of the 1960s.
Opening track, ‘No One Said this Would Be Easy’, leaves you in no doubt that cinematic indie pop is their speciality, as it opens with lush violins and lead singer/songwriter Tim Yehezkely’s seductive, laid back vocals.
Next up is ‘My Lucky Charm’, which would not have sounded out of place on Belle And Sebastian’s last album The Life Pursuit, and then a string of stand out tracks including the slower ‘Thorn in My Side’, which is crying out for a video starring Julie Christie.
Another stand out track is ‘Don’t Know Until You Try’, which retains the cinematic edge, but has a more modern feel and is by far the most interesting arrangement on the album, mixing horns, synth bleeps and Burt Bacharach lounge pop well.
Memoirs At the End of the World is a must for those that enjoyed Stuart Murdoch’s 1960s-style film score album of this year God Help the Girl as well as St Etienne’s debut Fox Base Alpha. It can feel a little too slick in places, but the band’s cinematic edge ensure it avoids being soulless, like so much of the lounge-pop The Postmarks are often labeled as.
7.5/10
by Joe Lepper, Aug 2009
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